The taxi drivers themselves
filmed and posted the video online. "Danny Taxi," the user who posted the
video, commented underneath to say that he was "the first one"
and that they "got" three Uber drivers in total. He also wrote
thattheir attacks on
Monday were still "nice" and that they would get worse
from there, as the taxi
drivers plan to continue lashing out against Uber
drivers.

This attempt to intimidate Uber drivers was not
isolated. In Nantes,
one Uber driver told French newspaper Ouest France about
being booked for a ride from the train station to the airport.
When he got there he was approached by a group of seven or eight
men. The taxi drivers then reportedly started insulting him and
one got into the car while the others scratched his
car.

"They pressured me," he said. "They said, 'How
are we going to feed our families? You are taking our jobs.'"
When they left he realized they had also slashed three of his
tires. Shaken but not hurt after his first day on the job, the
man said Uber promised they would pay for the damages to his
car.

Local taxi drivers are also protesting near Uber
driver recruiting and training centers. They perceive Uber's
service as unfair competition. The Thévenoud law rendered UberPOP
illegal on January 1st and the government has been cracking down
on those unprofessional drivers.

In an article published on Sunday, the New York
Times Magazine described how the Boers, a part of the French
police dedicated to the taxi industry,
is cracking down on UberPOP drivers. The unit is specialized
in spotting the UberPOP vehicles — they then question the drivers
and often fine them. Uber is fighting back, and encourages its
drivers to continue working and assures that it will pay their
fines.

Last October,
Uber was fined 100,000 euros by a Paris court for its UberPOP
service, but the San Fransisco-based company is appealing the
decision.